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Tender, flavorful Cashew Chicken and Vegetables
Homemade Honey Cashew Chicken is so much better than Chinese takeout!
We adore the sweet heat in this easy, quick cooking, satisfying cashew chicken recipe. Our Asian-American inspired stir-fry is loaded with tender chunks of chicken breast, crisp red bell pepper, onions, tender broccoli florets and plenty of roasted cashews.
This skillet meal is finished with a delicious sticky sauce creating a delicious flavor explosion. Start cooking the rice first because this stir-fry will be ready in under an hour!
Ingredients Overview:
For the marinade:
- cornstarch used to seal the chicken and keep it tender
- fresh ground black pepper
- low-sodium soy sauce also used in the sauce
- sesame oil for terrific flavor
- rice vinegar for acidic flavor to balance the sweet sauce
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
For the sauce:
- cornstarch for thickening the sauce as it cooks
- rice vinegar for a nice tangy bite
- honey or brown sugar, both work very well
- low-sodium soy sauce or regular soy sauce
- Sriracha sauce or your favorite chili garlic sauce or hot sauce
- water or chicken broth
For the stir-fry:
- vegetable oil for sautรฉing
- broccoli florets
- sweet onion
- red bell pepper
- fresh garlic cloves minced
- crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- unsalted cashew nuts
For serving:
- cooked rice
- sliced green onions
- toasted sesame seeds
Overview: How to make Cashew Chicken
This simple recipe is divided into three easy steps. Once measured and prepped, this recipe comes together quickly.
Before you begin, start cooking the rice if planning to serve with the cashew chicken.
1. First make the marinade:
Cut the chicken breasts or thighs into one-inch pieces. In a large bowl combine cornstarch, pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate.
This step can be done up to 4 hours in advance. For storage longer than 20 to 30 minutes be sure to cover and refrigerate the chicken until ready to cook.
2. Next combine the sauce ingredients:
Whisk the cornstarch, rive vinegar, honey, soy sauce, hot sauce and water together. Set aside.
3. Stir-fry the chicken and vegetables:
Drain the chicken in a colander or mesh sieve then spread the chicken pieces out on a paper towel lined plate. Blot dry with additional paper towels.
Heat vegetables oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
Add the remaining vegetable oil to the pan then add the vegetables. Stir-fry until all vegetables are crisp tender. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant.
Reduce the heat to medium-low.
4. Add the sauce and serve:
Finally, add the chicken back to the pan with the vegetables. Add the sauce mixture and cook, stirring constantly until thickened and the chicken and vegetables are coated.
Turn off the heat and add the cashews. Stir to coat. Check the seasoning and add salt if needed.
Serve immediately garnished with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Serve over sticky Jasmine rice for a complete meal.
Hot cooked rice is perfect for soaking up the sweet and spicy sauce in this stir-fry classic. We don’t eat a lot of rice these days, but when we do it must be topped with a rainbow of vegetables and delicious protein.
Toasted cashews provide great textural balance and crunch, and the fresh sliced green onions complete the dish. Many Cashew Chicken recipes include brown sugar in the sauce. We’ve replaced the sugar with honey in this recipe but you can use equal amounts of brown sugar if desired.
Another Asian inspired dish sweetened with honey is our Easy Stir Fry Vegetables. It’s another easy and delicious recipe and perfect for a meatless-Monday meal or quick weeknight dinner.
Chicken with cashew nuts is my go-to favorite when craving Asian inspired recipes.
Originally posted in 2012, this recipe has gone through some delicious updates and improvements over the years. This final version is a keeper and is on repeat in our house!
Cornstarch may seem like an odd marinade ingredient as it’s usually used to thickened sauces. In this recipe, it does both.The little bit of cornstarch forms a protective barrier that helps prevent the chicken from overcooking and drying out. Nobody likes tough, dried up chicken hidden under some delicious sauce.
This Chinese cooking method, called velveting, can be accomplished by tossing the meat or chicken in cornstarch, or added to the marinade for easy preparation.
Cashew Chicken was invented by aย restaurant owner in Springfield, Missouri.
In 1963 chefย David Leong created Cashew Chicken using deep fried chicken chunks sautรฉed in a simple sauce made with oyster sauce and soy sauce.
Thai restaurants often serve a similar dish made with thin sliced chicken, onions and cashews in a light brown sauce that’s not as sweet as the Chinese-America versions. If you’ve never tried Cashew Chicken, now’s a great time!
Thanks for PINNING!
Honey Cashew Chicken
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ยฝ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 3 skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ยฝ tablespoons rice vinegar
- ยผ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 ยฝ tablespoons Sriracha sauce more or less to taste
- ยฝ cup water or chicken broth
For the stir fry:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 large sweet onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeds and ribs removed, chopped or sliced
- 3 medium cloves garlic minced
- ยผ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup unsalted cashew nuts toasted (see notes)
For serving:
- hot cooked rice for serving
- ยผ cup sliced green onions for garnish
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- In a large glass bowl prepare the marinade by combining 2 tablespoons cornstarch, black pepper, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sesame oil and 1 teaspoon rice vinegar. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate while preparing the vegetables. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- In a small bowl combine the sauce ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sautรฉ, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and heat until shimmering. Add the broccoli, onion and bell pepper and sautรฉ until the vegetables are crisp tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and then the honey sauce mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and all vegetables and chicken are coated, about 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cashews to the skillet. Stir to coat. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice garnished with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Easy, quick and flavorful Honey Cashew Chicken
This one skillet meal can be adapted to suit your family favorites. Adjust the level of sweet heat by adding more or less honey, sugar, hot sauce and crushed red pepper flakes.
You can also change up this recipe by substituting your favorite fresh vegetables.ย We love broccoli and red bell pepper in this stir-fry, but green bell pepper, snow peas, asparagus, water chestnuts all work well too.
Plan ahead and make your own flavorfulย Sweet Chili Sauce to use in place of Sriracha hot sauce.
Finally, don’t miss these great recipes for Spicy Basil Chicken, Beef with Broccoli and the incredibly flavored Mongolian Beef. We love our stir-fry recipes and bet you will too.
Kathy
When you say sesame oil, do you mean toasted sesame oil or the light sesame oil?
Tricia Buice
Hi Kathy. I prefer toasted sesame oil but either will work fine. Enjoy!
Joan Bratby
THis was delicious will be cooking many times
Tricia Buice
Thanks Joan! We truly appreciate the feedback.
Kitty
I made the Cashew Chicken last week and it was absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Kitty! I LOVE that dish and need to make it again soon. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Sandy
Very tasty dish with a wonderful flavor. I used sambal instead of sriracha in the sauce and added a handful of shredded carrot to up the amount of veg. Next time I would also double the amount of broccoli. This recipe will become part of my regular dinner rotation.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Sandy! Love the addition of carrots and the substitution of sambal. Brilliant!
Kyarican
Made this tonight using chili crunch. It was absolutely delicious
Tricia Buice
Thanks Kyarican. Glad you enjoyed it!
Cait
Does the nutrition information and calories include the rice and garnishes or are they separate?
Tricia Buice
Hi Cait. The rice and garnishes are separate.
Denise Merola
Oh my gosh, we absolutely loved this recipe ๐ฅฐ. The sauce was delicious & served with jasmine rice; what a perfect meal. Made it exactly as instructed. Definitely will be making this dish a regular. Thank you for such a great recipe. I wanted to attach a picture; however I couldn’t find anywhere to attach it
Tricia Buice
Thanks Denise! If you want to add a photo to Instagram and tag us we’ll be sure to give your post some love. Thank you for trying the recipe and for taking the time to comment. Bravo!
Suzan
this was hands down THE BEST cashew chicken I’ve ever made, or ever tasted!! The chicken literally melts in your mouth! the sauce is plenty for a full lb of chicken breast along with broccoli, carrots, onions, and red peppers. I served it with 3 cups jasmine rice and there was enough chicken and veggies for another full dinner.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Suzan! So glad you tried this tasty chicken. We LOVE it too! Enjoy ๐
Diana
how many lbs of chicken breast? Some breasts are small and some are large Would love to try this recipe it really looks great!
Tricia Buice
Hi Diana. If you’re using small, use four chicken breasts. If they’re large stick with three. It’s all good!
Kecia Batting
This recipe is hands down one of my familyโs favourite meals. I have made it over and over since I saw it on Pinterest a few months ago. My boys are not a fan of sriracha or chili flakes (too spicy) but I double the recipe so I only put what the recipe calls for 1 1/4 of sriracha and no chili flakes. I figure if my husband and I want more spice we can add it to our own plate, itโs perfect! I always add orange, red, yellow and green bell peppers and carrots, I love the beautiful colours!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it is definitely a staple dish in our house!
Tricia Buice
You made my day Kecia! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and for trying the recipe. So glad it’s enjoyed by all. Also, great idea to add your own “heat!” Yum ๐
Paula Cram
Absolutely delicious! I was out of Sriracha sauce so I used Hoisin sauce and it was delicious.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Paula! Sounds like a good substitution. Enjoy ๐
L. Konrad
This is a staple in my household!! Been making it almost weekly for the last 6 months. Such awesome flavours. I do use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts, only because we prefer dark meat. Excellent recipe!
Tricia Buice
We have this on a regular rotation, too Laura. Love it!!! Thanks so much for the feedback and for trying our recipe.
Terrie
Excellent. Ive tried many stir fried veggie dishes and actually gave up trying to find one that tasted good. I told my husband there is no sense trying to beat Flame Broiler. But today i decided to try this because i needed to use up my veggies. This was so good. Thank you for a great recipe for one of my favorite foods.
Also i did make the marinate and sauce ahead of time. Worked fine.
Tricia Buice
Terrific Terrie! Thanks for the wonderful review. I value your feedback and appreciate you taking the time to let us know how this turned out. Bravo ๐
Ashley
This is my family’s favorite meal! Question – my mom can’t eat bell peppers. Would carrots be a good substitute?
Tricia Buice
Hi Ashley! Yes carrots are a great substitute especially due to the great color. Be sure to slice the carrots into very thin rounds or matchstick size pieces. You can always sautรฉ them a little longer if needed to cook through. Thanks for the great question and the feedback! So glad you are enjoying this delicious meal.
Carol
Do you have nutrition information for this recipe?
Tricia Buice
Hi Carol. I added the estimated nutrition information. This does not include any rice or additional toppings that may be included when serving. Enjoy!
Marisa Henry
This recipe will make you look like a professional chef! I donโt make it as often as I should, but Iโve made it over 10 times. Add shelled edamame if you like it! Iโve made it with broccoli, and other times Iโve eliminated the broccoli and used sugar snap peas instead. I ALWAYS double the sauce because itโs phenomenal. Just wanted to say thank you again for making us look good! Question, can I make the marinade and sauce ahead of time? I donโt know how cornstarch reacts over time.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Marisa! Love the addition of shelled edamame and sugar snap peas. I think the marinade will be fine to make ahead. Be sure to stir very well before using. Enjoy!
Abigail
Hi there I was just wondering if I can use chilli sauce instead of Sriracha? Thank you in advance! ๐
Tricia Buice
Hi Abigail. I think the chilli sauce will be great. Good substitution! Let us know how it turns out for you.
Jenn W
This was hands down the best recipe Iโve ever made, and I am always trying new things. Wow!! So much flavor, so many layers with the sesame oil, siriacha, toasted cashews… this is amazing! Canโt wait to make again.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Jean!! I LOVE this recipe and am so glad you made it. We truly appreciate you taking the time to comment. Thank you!!!